December 1, 2025 – SAANICH – With many people turning to their devices for holiday shopping instead of heading to the mall, Consumer Protection BC wants shoppers to know their rights when buying online.

“If you can, make your online purchases using a credit card. This will give you the most protection under BC’s consumer protection laws if something goes wrong, such as not receiving your package,” says Louise Hartland, director of public relations for Consumer Protection BC.

Before the order

Before hitting confirm on an online purchase, consumers should review and correct any mistakes in their orders or shipping details. Before making the purchase, they should see:

  • A detailed description of the goods or services they’re buying
  • The currency
  • The delivery details, including the delivery method and place of delivery
  • The cancellation, return, exchange and refund policies, if any

“Before ordering online, it should be clear to the consumer how the business will deliver the item if they don’t plan to give it to them directly. For example, if a business plans to drop something at the door unattended or hand it to someone else who lives at the home, the business should have made those terms clear at the time of purchase,” says Hartland.

Once the order is placed, the business should provide the consumer with a detailed receipt of the order within 15 days.  

“Take a close look at your receipt or contract. It should include details like your information, the information of the business you’re buying from, the full cost including the currency, the return and refund policy, and the date you should receive it,” says Hartland.

Dealing with issues

Businesses can supply consumers with one of two dates when they place an online order – the date they expect it to ship, or the date they expect it to be delivered. If the package is missing or doesn’t arrive within 30 days of that date, consumers have cancellation rights and can follow these steps to request a refund:

  1. Contact the business and request a refund. Consumer Protection BC has official cancellation forms and information on the details required available on its website. The business has 15 days issue a refund.
  2. If the business doesn’t issue the refund, they can request a refund through their credit card provider, using another form from the website.
  3. If the business and the credit card provider both say no, they may be in breach of the law and Consumer Protection BC wants to hear about it.

“We know the holiday shopping season can be stressful and the last thing you want to deal with is not having a gift for someone because you didn’t receive it. If that happens, we have resources on our website to help,” says Hartland.

 

For media inquiries, please contact: 
Louise Hartland 
Director of Public Relations 
media@consumerprotectionbc.ca 

About Consumer Protection BC

Consumer Protection BC is a not-for-profit regulator responsible for overseeing specific industries and consumer transactions in British Columbia. The organization’s mandate includes licensing and inspecting regulated businesses, responding to consumer inquiries, investigating alleged violations of consumer protection laws, and classifying all general release motion pictures.

With a focus on fairness and accountability, Consumer Protection BC works to ensure consumers are informed and protected. For more information, including recent enforcement actions and details about inspection and complaint-handling processes, visit www.consumerprotectionbc.ca. The organization also shares valuable consumer tips and resources through its blog and social media channels on Facebook and Instagram.

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